Месяц: Сентябрь 2014

Online and mobile slot developer Realistic Games announced this week that it had been granted a Remote Service Operating Licence by the UK Gambling Commission.

At a time when many developers and online casinos are re-considering their involvement in the UK market due to recent changes in UK gambling law, Realistic Games has taken the decision to invade the UK market.

This licence is the second operating licence awarded to Realistic Games this year with the developer having earlier been granted a licence in Gibraltar back in January in a massive step forward for the company.

Realistic Games has gained a reputation in the online slots industry for releasing some top slots titles including the American history-themed Riverboat Gambler, the thrilling 6 Appeal, and the swashbuckling Pirate Radio.

Realistic Games Commercial Director Andy Harris said “There are many things for our customers to attend to as a result of the introduction of the Act, so getting our licensing in place early gives them one less thing to worry about.”

Harris added “Furthermore, we hope that it provides potential customers with another positive reason to choose Realistic Games as a new supplier partner. This licence represents a significant step for us. We’ve worked closely with the Gambling Commission throughout the application process and have now passed the most stringent tests of probity and due diligence. Just as importantly, we are ahead of most of our rivals. As we are already compliant with the new regulations we’ll not be caught up in any last minute scramble to gain licences or comply with the new regulations.”

Renowned online slot and software developer NYX Interactive has announced that it has been granted a remote business to business gaming licence in Gibraltar this week.

The licence will allow NYX Interactive to continue to develop its business to business products and expand its ventures further across the online gaming market. The news comes at a time when the UK has altered its gambling laws and is forcing develops and software firms to seek new online gaming licences.

This licence agreement comes after NYX Interactive confirmed it was working with Sportech to offer an online gaming product in the US state of New Jersey. It is now also able to offer its online slots to online casinos that also hold a Gibraltar gaming licence.

NYX Interactive is the parent company of prestigious slots developer NextGen Gaming and is responsible for a number of top online slots releases including the atmospheric Medusa II slot and the mystical Merlin’s Magic Re-Spins slot.

NYX Interactive’s David Johnson said “An exciting Autumn awaits as we begin to see content go live in Gibraltar, whilst elsewhere in the business we look forward to the release of marquee new NextGen slots games Judge Dredd and Foxin’ Wins Again.”

The Gibraltar Betting and Gaming Association (GBGA) confirmed that it is planning to launch a legal challenge against the recently introduced new UK gambling laws that has made it harder for firms to earn a gaming licence.

The GBGA has officially commented that the new laws, the Gambling (Licensing and Advertising) Act introduced by the UK government earlier this year are deemed to be “unlawful” and it intends to legally challenge the laws.

Despite the UK government claiming the new laws have been introduced to protect consumers from the ever-growing gambling industry, the GBGA counters those claims by stating that the new laws could have an adverse effect and actually harm consumers in the long term.

In its submission to the High Court of England and Wales, the GBGA stated “The absence of effective supervision and enforcement, coupled with the burdensome regulatory requirements, will encourage the growth of and migration to unregulated or poorly regulated operators which will present genuine risks to the British consumer.”

The submission also read “When introducing the new licensing regime, the defendants rejected the option of a ‘passporting’ regime. This would have been both less onerous to legitimate operators and more effective in protecting consumers, since it would have been based on effective supervision and cooperation between the Gambling Commission and overseas regulators.”

The UK government has been accused of simply introducing the new laws as a method of increasing revenues and using the benefits to the consumer as a cover-up for the real intent of reaping the economic benefits.

Chief Executive of the GBGA, Peter Howitt, said “The only beneficiaries of this change are the UK domestic industry and the Gambling Commission itself, which has persuaded the UK Government that it should be the global regulator of this high-tech and complex industry. It has neither the resources, the legal powers, nor the skills to operate successfully across the globe.”

Howitt added “This is bad news for consumers, and for international competition. We have an effective and knowledgeable regulator in Gibraltar. That the Gambling Commission believes it is better placed to regulate the industry here is laughable. We are determined to fight against measures that actually undermine consumer protection.”

Online casino slots developer Quickspin officially confirmed that it had agreed a supply deal with Rational Group-owned online poker site Full Tilt Poker this week.

The new supply deal between the two firms will see Quickspin offer some of its top slots titles including Big Bad Wolf, Firestorm, and King Colossus available for Full Tilt Poker players to enjoy at the online poker site.

The deal highlights Full Tilt Poker’s intention to branch out into the online slots market by offering its online poker players the chance to play some top slots during their visit to the site. Players can already experience a range of slots from Leander Games as well as play some classic casino table games such as roulette and blackjack.

Quickspin CEO Daniel Lindberg said “In order to succeed in today’s competitive market, it is imperative for an operator to offer a cutting edge gaming experience, with high quality games being the core of that experience.”

Lindberg added “We look forward to working with the Rational Group, helping them grow their Casino business by offering their players a best-in-class gaming experience.”

Rational Group Director of Casino Sam Hobcraft stated “We are looking forward to working closely with Quickspin, as we continue to build out our slots category.”

Players will be able to access the new Quickspin slots by accessing the Full Tilt Poker Casino via the casino tab on the Full Tilt Poker homepage.

Scandinavian-based online slots developer Net Entertainment has announced the release of two new slots titles this week.

The first slot release is the 5 reel, 10 pay-line electromagnetic-themed title Attraction. Players are taken to a dingy science lab where they encounter reels full of magnets and electric pulses. Magnets located on the side and on top of the reels give players the chance to hit Expanding Wilds that will trigger a single re-spin with Sticky Wilds and give players the opportunity to earn further re-spins.

A 50,000 coin jackpot is up for grabs for players if they can trigger the re-spins with the Sticky Wilds and complete winning combinations across the reels using the magnets that randomly appear alongside the reels on each spin.

The second title released by Net Entertainment this week is the Touch mobile release of the popular Blood Suckers slot. Blood Suckers received a very positive review at Gamingslots and its release as a Touch title will be great news for fans of the online version.

Blood Suckers Touch is a 5 reel, 25 pay-line slot that has a vampire theme. It comes with a high payout ratio and there is a bonus feature that gives players the chance to slay some vampires and win some prizes at the same time.

Chief Product Officer at Net Entertainment, Simon Hammon, said “Both these slots highlight why NetEnt’s stand-out casino portfolio is so sought-after. Attraction and Blood Suckers Touch take pride of place in our best-inclass catalogue and help consolidate our position as market leaders in the online casino domain.”

The announcement of these two new slots titles comes at the same time as Net Entertainment confirming that the release date for its highly-anticipated South Park sequel slot entitled South Park – Reel Chaos is set for Thursday 23rd October, 2014.

The notorious Lion’s Share slot at the MGM Grand Casino in Las Vegas finally unleashed its $2.4 million jackpot after 20 years this week.

Lion’s Share was first installed at the famous casino on the Las Vegas Strip in the early 1990s and has gained a controversial reputation for not paying out its progressive jackpot once since its inception. That all changed earlier this week when one lucky player finally pulled off what was beginning to seem like the impossible.

Walter Misco, from New Hampshire, was persuaded by his wife of 48 years, Linda, to have a play on the slot on the night before they were due to leave Las Vegas to go home. The pair have been coming to Las Vegas every few months for the past 20 years and were fully aware of the slot’s growing reputation for not paying out.

However, in a twist of fate, it only took playing the slot for 5 minutes at the maximum bet value of $3 per spin before the progressive jackpot was triggered and Walter made history by becoming an instant multi-millionaire by triggering the $2.4 million 20 year old jackpot prize.

Walter said “Every time I walked by, there were five or six people lined up. But at 11 o’clock was my window of opportunity. There was nobody there, so I sat down. I put $100 in the machine and had $127 in credits when it hit. I’d probably been playing for five minutes.”

President and COO of MGM Grand Casino Scott Sabella stated “MGM Grand is delighted to award this historic jackpot to the lucky winner of the “Lion’s Share,” and we couldn’t be happier for the winners and their family and friends.”

Sabella added “This monumental event is another great example of why MGM Grand is the Entertainment Authority, and our goal of providing every guest with the ultimate Las Vegas experience.”

Lion’s Share has gained a cult following ever since its notoriety for not paying out in 20 years of existence was highlighted by Wall Street Journal writer Ron Copeland in an article earlier this year. Ever since, scores of players have lined up to play the slot in an attempt to trigger its multi-million dollar jackpot.

The slot is the only remaining title left from custom-made MGM Grand-branded slots that were installed on the casino’s floor. Its future is now uncertain in the aftermath of the jackpot win but it has firmly secured its place in casino folklore.